Today a road helps to make life easier for pilgrims to travel to various religious festivities held each summer to commemorate Padmasambhava, an Indian jogi who is worshipped throughout Tibet.

Katok is the name of a remote monastery located four thousand metres above sea level in the mountains of eastern Tibet. The day before the festival begins, thousands of pilgrims arrive at the monastery by way of numerous means of transport and also bring all of the necessary items for a week's stay: food, firewood, tents, mattresses and all the essential accoutrements that are required for a comfortable pilgrimage. For the procession, the monks put on a yellow habit the colour of gold in order to honour the precious ethical values of the Buddhist faith, such as charity, tolerance and a peaceful manner and to break out of the cycle of rebirth, and finally reach Nirvana.

In the monastery courtyard the preparations to celebrate the Cham’, a masked dance, begin. Carpets are laid out for the higher ranks of the clergy and two enormous ‘dunks’ - telescopic trombones - are mounted to give the sacred music an appropriate volume.

Early in the morning on the fifth day, the pilgrims complete the ‘Kora’, the circumnavigation of the monastery, while the monks wait impatiently for breakfast, salted tea with yak butter.

The Katok Festival is as authentic today as it ever has been and hopefully will always remain so.